


The Dad Friend

by 19_empty_vacancies



Series: Forehead Kisses [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Because fuck Civil War, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Fluff, Gen, The Avengers Are Good Bros, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Is a Good Bro, Tony is the dad friend, and Age of Ultron while I'm at it, and being aloof, he just covers it with snark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-06
Updated: 2017-09-06
Packaged: 2018-12-24 14:02:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12014277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/19_empty_vacancies/pseuds/19_empty_vacancies
Summary: Tony covers up the fact that he cares about his friends buy using snark, swearing, and being aloof. But we all know the truth, and so do the Avengers.Five times Tony did something nice and covered it up and one time he didn't.





	The Dad Friend

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on the prompt left by Cher: Tony being a complete mother hen to all the Avengers but acting super nonchalant about it and not letting any of them see until one day there's a truth spell or something that makes tony unable of any form of deception and the team realizes how much Tony cares and he's really just a sensitive smol bean who snarks so no one realizes.
> 
> A couple of the things Tony does is based on what I do. Because I too am an arsehole. I ended it where it was because I didn't want to cock it up too much, but drop me a line if you think it needs to be fixed. I'll try.

All things considered, having a bundle of plastic wrapped sunflowers thrust into his face was the last thing Clint considered when he’d come into the living room the day after getting back from the long ass mission Fury had sent him on.

The fact that it was Tony who was holding them while frowning was even less expected but not unappreciated; which is why Clint took them with the slightest hint of a smile curling the corner of his mouth. Make no mistake, he was confused as all get out but hey, free flowers.

Tony narrowed his eyes at Clint before stepping back. “You were gone.

“Yes.”

“And then you were grumpy and hurt when you got back.”

Clint nodded slowly and repeated “Yes.”

“Feel better, bird brain.” Tony turned sharply and stalked out of the room, leaving Clint standing there half asleep and confused but pleased all the same.

Looking down at the bright yellow bunch of flowers, Clint huffed a laugh and shook his head.

“Let’s get you guys in some water okay?”

How Tony knew that sunflowers were his favourite flower, he didn’t know, but it was nice that Tony cared enough to bring them. Even if he was acting like an aloof cat while doing so.

* * *

Tea kept appearing at his elbow in two-hour intervals.

It wasn’t obvious until he reached for his cup and realized that the tea tasted different to the last cup he’d drank and that it had been a couple of hours since he’d gotten up to get himself something to drink and when he did it certainly wasn’t this blend.

Bruce clicked on to what was happening pretty much immediately after he noticed the tea appearing in regular times. He noticed the way the blend changed occasionally depending on what he was working on or how long he’d been working.

He didn’t say anything when the next two-hour mark came ‘round and the doors slid open and Tony walked into the room, silently placing down a fresh mug of tea and plucking up the empty cup.

He never said a word, never interrupted what Bruce was working on. Just came in, swapped out his tea and then left again.

All the while drinking from his own cup of coffee.

* * *

Natasha prowled the living room. That was seriously the only way to describe what the actual fuck she was doing. Clint had tried to distract her but nothing he’d done was working. She rarely got like this, but when did it was due to a combination of sleep deprivation due to nightmares of past deeds done, and whatever gruesome mission she’d just come back from.

All he could do was watch his best friend as she stalked the perimeter, moving easily through shadows as she huffed. The sound of shuffling feet made Natasha freeze in place before her head snapped in the direction they were coming from.

Tilting his head back, Clint peered over the back of the couch to see fresh-out-of-the-lab Tony appear in all his grease stained glory with the most glorious bitch face Clint had ever seen.

And he’d worked with Fury and Coulson for over 12 years.

Once he was close enough, Tony lifted his hand and threw something directly at Natasha, who caught the projectile with a surprised blink while Tony starred her down.

“I don’t if you know this, but I really fucking hate having to leave my lab when I’m in the middle of a deadline. So try to fucking rest and get comfortable.”

Tony turned and stalked out of the room grumbling about four different product deadlines, voice fading as he stepped into the elevator.

Turning back, Clint raised his eyebrows. “So what he give you?”

Flipping the item in her hands, Natasha raised her eyebrows as well. “The first season of Psych.”

Clint cooed. “He gave you your favourite show.” God. Sometimes Clint just wanted to bundle Tony up and never let him out of his sight.

Natasha rolled her eyes. “Go make popcorn while I set this up.”

* * *

“You two are the sorriest sacks of shit I’ve ever seen.”

Buck and Steve turned in unison away from the television to see Tony standing by the door, arms crossed.

“Christ it’s like living with the dead. Go outside, it’s sunny and I know for a fact that there’s some weird art festival or something happening out in the Park. Go check it out, buy some paint or something. Hell, go punch a neo-Nazi. I don’t give a fuck, just go do something. You two are making me sad just looking at you.”

“You want us to punch people?” Steve asked, confusion thick in his voice.

“They’re Nazis, who gives a crap. Just do something to make you feel better.” Tony dug around in his pocket and threw his wallet at Bucky, who caught it easily. He looked down at the wallet before looking back at Tony.

“What do you want me to do with this?”

“Go buy yourself something nice, I don’t fucking care. My aunt told me the other day that some cinema in Brooklyn is playing all the old Disney movies. Go find the cinema and go see them. Catch up on the modern day. Just get out of the house.” Tony then flounced out of the room.

The two out of time soldiers looked at each other and shrugged.

“Let’s go do what he said.”

Bucky pushed himself up with a sigh. “He’s such a dad.”

* * *

When it came to Sam, there was no fanfare, Tony just walked into the room, took one look at him and then left again.

Which okay, that hurt because Sam had been trying to connect with Tony y’know, he seemed like a cool guy and if the others could talk so highly of him, he must be alright. So having him take one look and then leave felt pretty damn shitty.

Until Tony came back into the room ten minutes later holding a soft looking plush toy. Which he proceeded to under hand throw directly into Sam’s face. Of course, being unprepared for incoming plush projectiles meant it bounced off his face and into his lap.

Blinking rapidly, Sam looked down and paused because that was a falcon. Tony threw a plush falcon at him. When he looked up at Tony while carefully brushing his fingers over the soft texture, he saw Tony shift awkwardly.

“Birds aren’t allowed to be sad.”

Sam watched as Tony pursed his lips, nodded and then made the fastest, most awkward escape ever before he could even say thank you.

* * *

The call to battle came after a lull of two months, and with it brought some amateur magic user who thought it’d be a cool idea to influence the minds of everyone in the tri-state area. Of course, being as he was an amateur, the Avengers managed to take him down fairly easily; what with everyone he’d enthralled coming back to themselves after being hit was a splash of water.

Which is the weirdest, and weakest, way to break a spell.

The ease in which the magician was taken down didn’t stop him from having one last hurrah. He managed to wriggle free just long enough to send a yellow burst of light towards Iron Man before he was recaptured and taken into SHIELD custody.

* * *

No one could find Tony when they got back from debriefing. He’d vanished into the bowels of the Tower as soon as they’d returned and they hadn’t been able to contact him since.

For two days, they didn’t see hide nor hair of Tony until he suddenly appeared by the couch in the common room, once more grease stain stained but this time looking tired and with shallow scratches winding his arm.

“I made you all gear that won’t be effected by magic. I’m going to need you guys to try it out and see how you like it because while I test all of your armor I need to know if it fits comfortably. So like, could you try it out in the next couple of days?”

Clint watched the way Tony’s hands shook minutely, the way his breath was slightly shallow and concluded that whatever that magician had thrown at him was still affecting him. Natasha seemed to see the same things because she was up and gently guiding the engineer towards the couch, settling him between herself and Clint.

“Tony,” Natasha brushed hair off his forehead, “you need to rest. Upgrading our armor could’ve waited.”

Tony shook his head. “Nope, had to do it. You all need to be protected and I can’t sleep if I don’t know if your gear is up to the best standards they can be. I need you all safe. We should be glad that it was some two-bit magic user and not some asshole like Loki.”

Clint leaned against his shoulder. “We need you safe too, Tones. So you need to rest, sleep science isn’t safe science.”

Sam nodded as he got up and disappeared down the hall that lead to their rooms and reappeared with his plush falcon. Walking over, he gently placed the bird in Tony’s hands. “You’re the most eccentric dad friend I’ve ever met, but we love you for it.”

“Dad friend?” Bucky echoed, his confusion mirrored on Steve’s face.

Sam nodded as he settled back on the couch. “The friend who appears emotionally distant and cares about your wellbeing but they don’t know how to show that they care and so they kind of flounder and offer random advice and gifts before leaving just as quickly.”

Tony snorts and shifts in place. “I don’t do that.”

Clint nodded. “You do do that, Tony. That’s you to your core.”

“You care about us.” Bruce grinned.

Tony huffed, “Ew, no I don’t.”

“You do. You care about us. You want to keep us all together, you big softie.”

Bucky grinned. “You love us, you give us blankets and toys and flowers when we feel down. Why else would you do that if you didn’t care about us?”

“Because,” Tony hunched down into the couch. “I don’t want you to leave okay? Having people around me who actually stay isn’t something I’m used to. I only do those things so that you don’t leave.”

“Like we’d ever want to leave you,” Bruce snorted. “You’re the closest thing to family any of us have. Why would we ever want to leave?”

Natasha tucked herself as close she could to Tony, ignoring the traces of grease that were rubbing into her clothes. “Face it big guy, you’re stuck with us until the end of time.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Can we stop talking about this stuff? I’m tired, someone put on something so I can fall asleep.”


End file.
